3D Now Available

Using its 1.8° wide symmetrical beam, 3-dimensional scanning doesn’t just provide the usual ’High-Mid-Low’ 3-level separation. Instead, it can build a truly detailed vertical profile of storms and other forms of precipitation and – at the same time – keeping the update frequency at an amazing 60 seconds.

The antenna elevation system can be configured to scan 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 levels in interlaced mode, with a 30 seconds minimum and a 60 seconds maximum averaging for each range (at 24 rotation per minute). If using multiple scanning levels – with the the recommended configuration – 12 levels can be scanned in a 5-minute interval. However, since a developing or active, moving storms / multicell systems / supercells / tornadoes (or any other intense precipitation event) will most likely be present in most, if not all elevations, their movement (development) will show up in all
1-minute refresh rate imagery continuously, regardless of the elevation interlacing methods applied.

Elevation control is very precise and can be freely adjusted by the user, depending on the general weather patterns in the area, mean average of troposphere /tropopause altitude, radar placement altitude, surrounding terrain – nerby buildings, valley, or mountains -, vegetation, and basically all other environmental properties surrounding the radar.

Elevation levels for 3-dimensional scanning can be set to any desired values with a precision of approx. 0.1 °, and can even be configured for negative elevations in the -2…+15 °range. With negative elevations, it is possible to target distant, low level precipitations with a radar placed on mountain tops or other high lands/locations, which would otherwise be below the horizon. Vertical profiles of storm clouds can be scanned in about 0.1-2 km altitude resolution, depending on distance.